Dennis is counsel in the Appellate Group of the Litigation Department of Reed Smith LLP, resident in its San Francisco office.

For almost 20 years, Dennis served as a senior staff attorney at the Supreme Court of California. For 17 years, he served as an attorney for the Honorable Stanley Mosk, the Court’s longest-serving member. He then assumed a dual position as a supervising attorney, serving both as an attorney for the Honorable Ronald M. George, the Chief Justice of California, and also as the Director of the Supreme Court’s Capital Central Staff.

During his tenure at the Court, Dennis worked on thousands of cases in a variety of substantive law areas. He assisted in the consideration and decision of more than a thousand petitions seeking the Supreme Court’s discretionary review of decisions of the Court of Appeal. In addition, he worked on almost 300 published opinions, which cover a broad range of matters, including issues of constitutional law, defamation, real property law, premises liability, family law, community property law, probate law, torts, summary judgment, contracts, antitrust, evidence, anti-discrimination law, insurance, insurance coverage and bad faith, fair political practices law; public-meeting law and procedure, professional responsibility, Indian gaming law, and criminal law and procedure.

Dennis has served as Chair, Vice-Chair, and Advisor of the Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct of the State Bar of California; as Chair and Vice-Chair of the State Bar Committee on the Administration of Justice; and as a member of the State Bar Committee on Appellate Courts.

As a member of the Appellate Group, Dennis specializes in appeals, writs, posttrial motions, and complex law and motion work. He also spearheads the firm’s California Supreme Court practice, and provides assistance and representation to clients who may have matters before the Court.